Teen convicted in shooting that left victim paralyzed

Quarrel at birthday party led to 2009 shooting

October 18, 2011|By Jason Meisner | Tribune reporter

Ondelee Perteet, 17, leaves the criminal courts building on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 after testifying against Robert Sansberry who shot Perteet in September 2009 leaving him a quadriplegic. (Chicago Tribune, Phil Velasquez)

Shortly after a teen was convicted Tuesday of shooting and paralyzing her son at a West Side party, Detreena Perteet stood in the lobby of the Criminal Courts Building talking about what comes next.

Their legal battle was over, but there were still difficult days ahead, she said.

"We won, but that doesn't make him get up and walk," said Perteet, wiping tears from her eyes as her son, Ondelee, now 17, sat in a wheelchair a few feet away.

Then she wrapped her arms around her son's shoulders, kissed his neck and whispered in his ear — and he smiled.

A Cook County jury deliberated a little more than two hours before convicting Robert Sansberry, now 17, of aggravated battery with a firearm in the 2009 shooting. Ondelee Perteet was left quadriplegic but has since regained some movement in his arms and upper body.

According to prosecutors, Sansberry had been kicked out of a birthday party after a brief quarrel with Perteet, returned with a gun and shot him through the jaw.

In testimony last week, Perteet identified Sansberry as the teen with whom he exchanged words, but he said he never saw who shot him.

The investigation languished for months until several witnesses came forward and implicated Sansberry.

Still, the case nearly unraveled.

One witness was briefly jailed for contempt after refusing to testify out of fear of retribution. At the trial prosecutors highlighted his grand jury testimony in which he identified Sansberry as the gunman.

Another witness also denied she ever told police or prosecutors that she overheard Sansberry confess to a cousin his role in the shooting.

Since the shooting, Perteet, a junior at Walter H. Dyett High School, frequently travels to area schools to discuss his ordeal. A former standout swimmer who wanted to be a lifeguard, he said his focus now is on walking again.

"I was glad, but at the same time, I feel bad for him," Perteet said of the jury's conviction of Sansberry. "Two lives were ruined."